Dancing in Open Graves : the 49th Hunger Games
by CrispsAndKerosene
Summary: The last Games before the second Quarter Quell: an odd twist, a different kind of arena - novelty that's more than an appetizer. No one, Gamemaker or tribute, will be allowed to lay low. Currently on hiatus for an undetermined period of time.
1. Prologue

_T_he 49th _H_unger _G_ames

**Dancing in Open Graves**

_S_end _Y_our _O_wn _T_ribute(s)

* * *

"Oh, trust me," said Head Gamemaker Penitence Danaid, her voice affected and sing-song, "this year's Games will be quite surprising indeed! You'll see, the twist we have planned will unravel in a storm of thrills and emotions!"

She smiled, exposing her bright red teeth. Her interlocutor, a Capitol television presenter seated at her side, left out a giggle before asking:

"All of this surely sounds quite appealing – are we allowed to get a little hint in regard to the nature of said twist?"

The Gamemaker's lips twisted into a coy little grin and her dark eyes shone with enthusiasm. Her voice rang once again:

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't tell you much, but let's say no tribute will leave the arena until the very end of the Games."

The presenter raised an eyebrow. Hushed interrogations shook the studio audience and one of the cameramen left out a short groan. Penitence's smile faded into a bizarre frown. For a few seconds the whole room seemed to swim in discomfort.

"Er, how mysterious," said the presenter, a hint of perplexity in his voice "Puzzling, I might even say."

Even the Gamemaker saw through his obvious attempt at deflating the ambient tension. She gave him a thankful smile before speaking again:

"Indeed it is," she forced a laugh, "but don't be so worried, my dear – we won't let anyone lay low this year. Our tributes will not only be staying in the arena 'till the end: they'll remain in the fight as well!"

Someone left out a gasp and the audience started to cheer... the crowd's opinion had swung like a weather vane and they'd finally given Penitence the reaction she had been waiting for. Beaming with satisfaction, the Gamemaker graced the crowd with another toothy grin. For an instant, all could guess that her true passion was not the Games, but the glory they'd bring her- and she was already becoming a Capitol's darling.

There was another round of exited cheers, and then the audience calmed down. A short musical cue echoed through the studio and a massive screen lit up behind Penitence and her host's armchairs. The presenter rose in a goofy little jump before announcing:

"It is now time for Penitence to answer some of the questions sent in by our beloved viewers!"

The Gamemaker shrugged, still smiling.

"So, without further ado, where shall we start?"

Elegant black letters appeared on the screen behind them. Penitence raised her eyebrows as her host read the first question:

"What will the arena be like?"

"Ah," sighted the Gamemaker, "that simple, age old query to which I, once again, sadly can't answer much... "

She marked a dramatic pause, gave a small shrug and finally answered:

"This year's arena will be unlike the terrariums (she spat the word as if it was shameful) we have observed in the past. This year's arena will be a reflexion of the life we know- but as it has not been lived in centuries."

Someone in the audience loudly exclaimed their interest, others soon followed. Penitence saluted them with a quick wave of the hand. A new question was asked:

"Will a certain kind of tribute be advantaged this year?"

"Oh," reacted the Gamemaker, "my answer here is yes, and they won't be those you'd normally expect to come out on top."

A murmur went through the crowd of spectators. Surely some bets were to be re-evaluated in light of Penitence's last words. The text on the screen changed, and the presenter's voice resonated once again around the room:

"From which District will the Victor most likely come from?"

The Gamemaker raised her hands, palms to the audience in a gesture of surrender.

"Oh, that, my dear," she said, "even I couldn't guess – and I'm the one who designed this arena. No wonder it'll be a surprise with how innovative and imaginative my team and I have been this year."

Her lips formed a cocky smile and the presenter giggled. The screen behind them went out. Some of the spectators held their breath in anticipation.

"Before we go," said the presenter to Penitence, "I'll dare to ask you one last question."

"Go ahead," said the Gamemaker with a nod.

"I might be trying a long shot here, but... a unique twist, all that novelty... Were this year's Games designed as an appetizer for the upcoming Quarter Quell?"

"Oh, I don't think I could say so," responded Penitence, "even we Gamemakers remain unknowing of said Quell's nature... It is true, nevertheless, that our viewers will not have to wait one more year to witness the grandiosity of truly distinctive Games."

She smiled again, her tinted teeth glistening in the studio's bright lighting. Many faces in the audience were smiling as well; someone even professed their love for the Gamemaker in a wheezing shout. A second musical cue resonated in the room. The presenter rose up.

"Our time together is sadly up," he said, "and so we'll have to bid goodnight to all of Panem!"

The crowd broke into a concert of disappointed "ah"s and "oh"s. The presenter continued:

"It has been your weekly newscast _Capitol __Cadence_, this evening with special guess Head Gamemaker Penitence Danaid!"

The lady in question rose up and took a bow as the elegant logo of the 49th Hunger Games appeared onscreen behind her. The whole studio exploded into applauds.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

_(As I have received all the characters I needed, most of those are now irrelevant)**  
**_

- You'll find the tribute submission form on my profile.

- Feel free to submit up to three characters, but do try to balance their genders and avoid pointlessly taking a district all to yourself.

- Send me, if possible, your completed form(s) via private messaging. I'll accept anonymous submissions through reviews, but they won't be selected if I receive a better written tribute of the same gender and district.

- Although I will give myself the right to reject grossly underdeveloped or unrealistic characters, I won't agonize whom to accept. Be warned, however, that Mary Sues will be written off as delusional and meet violent demises.

- I'd like to develop each tribute, but won't be writing 24 individual reapings, as I'll probably never finish if I do. I will either do a recap of the reapings from a Capitolite's pov, or begin directly at the parade. Feel free to inform me of your preference.

- At least three tributes of each gender will have to die early in story. I'm not, however, keen on people submitting tons of bloodbaths and taking up perfectly good districts; the unrealistic, personality-less tributes will therefore be the first ones to go.


	2. Tributes' List

All tributes have been found; thanks to all of those who submitted, even if I couldn't fit their character(s) in.

I can't say how long it will take for me to post the Reapings, as I am super busy with school these days. I, however, won't be writing individual PoV chapters so things shouldn't take to long before they get going.

* * *

**Tribute List**

_District 1_

Male : **Platinum Titan**, 18 [District 1 Victor] - An average, but confident career, Platinum is the broad-shouldered, smooth-talking warrior many see as the "safe" tribute to bet on. Will his typical training guide him toward an easy victory, or will he find himself destroyed by something he never could have prepared for?

Female : **Nion Azure**, 17 [nicci'weezy] - A career until then overlooked at the favour of her sister, Nion views her entry into the Games not as an accident of fate, but as a chance to prove herself the worthiest of them all. Will she finally shine as bright as those who have overshadowed her in the past, or will she lose herself in a struggle in which even the mightiest have no hope of victory?

_District 2_

Male : **Quintus Avitus**, 18 [Alicia Mirza] - Introverted, but blunt and cunning, Quintus is the kind of career who makes for an antipathetic interviewee and a dangerous opponent in the arena. Will his undeniable strength and quiet determination be enough to grant him the victory he has been dreaming of, or will his solace be stolen away by a struggle he was never equipped to face?

Female : **Azara Lavino**, 15 [britmck] - Confrontational, tough and well trained, Azara is a typical District 2 career. Many expect her to thrive during the Games, but doubt still lingers; will her preference for direct combat lead the way to victory, or will it revel itself to be a liability in this year's arena?

_District 3_

Male : **Rider Jansen**, 16 [Funny-Bunny-lover] - Disorganized and assertive, Rider considers himself an outcast among District 3's populace of obedient factory workers. Will the Games be his occasion to demonstrate the value of divergence, or will he have overestimated his ability to fend for himself?

Female : **Electra Watts**, 12 [LouisVuittonluver] - Strange and obscure, Electra's past weights heavily despite her young age, tell tale of her empty heart. Will her mask of innocence and the true nature it covers be an asset, or will the Games reveal themselves as an even bigger monster than she is?

_District 4_

Male : **Nicholas Castellen**, 16 [fman173] - Well trained, but thoughtful and compassionate, Nicholas is a career who might not posses what it takes to murder his way to victory. Will his longing for the shores of District 4 be enough to make him disregard his empathetic nature, or will he accept his own death as a noble sacrifice?

Female :** Luna Delphos**, 17 [Wisteria22] - Adventurous, but firm and rational, Luna is the kind of career District 4 prides itself in having produced. Will the Games be the venture she has long sought after, or will those who placed their faith in her have to witness the fall of their figurehead?

_District 5_

Male : **Lucius Spark**, 15 [DragonFan1512] - Sly and independent, Lucius is the kind of boy who acts in secret, fighting in the shadows to protect himself and the few he loves. Will his usual furtive tactics give him the upper hand in the arena, or will he be forced to confront the horrors of a brutality no one can run away from?

Female : **Zsan Zsan Holloway**, 17 [XxFreeOatmealxX] - Audacious and self assured, Zsan Zsan is the proud daughter of a past victor. Will she prove herself to par with the champion that her mother was, or will her hunger for love at any cost be the instrument of her downfall?

_District 6_

Male : **Track Norfleet**, 18 [BlindBanditfighter] - Cheerless and righteous since the death of his younger sister, Track knows that his role in the Games is not one of a victor's. Will he become the savior his wishes his sister would have had, or will the arena be a snare in which even kindness cannot survive?

Female : **Farrie Port**, 14 [Indyracer715] - Lovable, but hesitant, Farrie is a dreamer who wants to be heard, but hasn't yet found her voice. Will she find the strength to rise and become a Victor to be remembered, or will she fall into oblivion like so many before her?

_District 7_

Male : **Jackson Pine**, 17 [thgultimatefan19] - Brave and outgoing, Jackson might be seen as the archetypal romantic hero. Will his good but fiery nature reveals itself to be what victors are made of, or will his heroic potential turn out to be insufficient?

Female : **Mitzi Cordovan**, 15 [constellationgrl] - Whimsical, sensitive and a bit odd, Mitzi has well earned her reputation as a peculiar but inoffensive child. Will her fickleness and weird habits transform revel themselves to be assets in the arena, or will she be broken by a struggle where nothing is ever romantic?

_District 8_

Male : **Weft Drugget**, 17 [Hel-Lokisdotter] - Deeply wounded by the loss of his best friend, Weft knows that his decision to volunteer was a death wish masquerading as a noble sacrifice. Will the brutal reality of the Games spark him with a new will to survive, or will suicide have been his ultimate revolt against his own apathy?

Female : **Paisley Till**, 16 [thgultimatefan19] - Timid, but driven, Paisley is a girl who should have been allowed to know peace. Will the desire to solve the mysteries of her childhood be enough to get her trough the Games, or will she succumb to the horror of the machine?

_District 9_

Male : **Dynamo Corral**, 18 [DragonFan1512] - Good natured and responsible, Dynamo is a volunteer ready to face death for the chance of aiding his starving district. Will he come home the hero all have wished would take away their misery, or will he discover that victory only comes to those ready to lose all that make them human in the process?

Female :** Skylark Judge**, 16 [Kitkat1425] - Withdrawn and bookish, Skylark has never known a day without being preyed upon by bullies and malicious pranksters. Will the Games give her the chance to prove herself stronger than her tormentors, or will death be the only escape from her misery?

_District 10_

Male : **Thatcher Geddes**, 12 [Eliza Ghost] - Egoistical, but smart and contemplative, Thatcher often wonders if he is a bad person, or only an interesting one. Will this year's arena become the glamorous theatre of his darkest fantasies, or will he be consumed by a reality where violence is neither thrilling nor glorious?

Female : **Thorn Azalea**, 16 [MidnightRaven323] - Rough and razor tongued, Thorn has since long learned that nothing in life comes without a fight. Will her difficult upbringing have been the perfect training for the realities of the arena, or will she find herself consumed by a world crueler than she has ever learned to be?

_District 11_

Male : **Croft Sedgewick**, 18 [Hel-Lokisdotter] - In appearance lighthearted and fun loving, Croft has grown to mask away his true emotions, woes and fears. Will his often underestimated abilities and passionate will to reunite with his family be what it takes to ensure his survival, or will he fall to monsters he knows himself unable to outmatch?

Female :** Sage Meadows**, 16 [Phantasia515] - Ill-tempered and selective, Sage has made herself an outsider among her peers. Will the tempestuous nature many use to consider her fatal flaw reveals itself to be an asset in the arena, or will her standoffishness inevitably trigger the course of her downfall?

_District 12_

Male : **Jayden Cinders**, 13 [winterkitten] - Overly cheerful as a way of hiding his lack of self confidence, Jayden lives with the perpetual feeling of being overshadowed. Will his place in the Games become a chance to be seen as never before, or will he die with the realisation that life itself is nothing but unremarkable?

Female : **Darcy Anders**, 17 [Phantasia515] - Sharp, but erratic Darcy has volunteered with the goal of avenging the murder of her older brother. Will her hunger for justice lead her to a consoling victory, or will the reality of the Games reduce it to nothing but the setup to another senseless sacrifice?


End file.
